Community group trying to inspire community action in Tulsa

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) -- One group is trying to get community involvement to help make several changes in our town.

ACTION otherwise known as the Allied Communities of Tulsa Inspiring our Neighborhoods is a non-partisan coalition of congregations and civic institutions that have come together to work on challenges that face families here in Tulsa.

Kelli Driscoll Crews said she wants her husband and little girl to be happy here in Tulsa. She is the secretary of the ACTION board and pastor of Bethany Christian Church.

“The community we live in, we will invest in not only with my husband’s business but with what we do politically, so that we make a place that’s better for her,” Driscoll Crews said.

Joining the ACTION board, their platform is based on what people struggling with on a daily basis.

“We’ve listened to hundreds of Tulsans and what people told us was that they were trying to figure out public education,” Driscoll Crews said.

Their president, Deanna Tirrell, said that’s not all they focus on.

“We’ve seen so many people who have lost faith in the political system,” she said. “They’ve stepped out. They’ve stopped being involved. And that’s more concerning than who people vote for.”

They invite people to come out and share their stories about what they are struggling with, whether that be education, mental health or even immigration in their ACTION group sessions.

“These are the stories we take to our legislatures so they can understand what really is affecting families and what we believe should be done about it,” said Tirrell.

Community groups and church pastors like Chris Moore are also asking their congregations to get involved.

“We could actually accomplish a great deal if we could learn how to engage with politics,” he said.

They hope more people get involved in the meetings moving forward toward the primary.

“We wanted to make sure that local candidates are hearing about what is going on in people’s lives,” said Driscoll Crews.

They are hosting accountability sessions for those running to hear them out. She said they have one hope.

“We want to make sure people are able to go to the polls and not just vote a party line ticket, but to approach it with seriousness wherever they are on the political spectrum,” said Driscoll Crews.

They are hosting these sessions with people running for office on June 10th and 21st, right before our state’s primary election on June 26th.